





^^-^k 




(hss gZ& G 



-4 ? fl, i T ' 



PRi;sr-:NTi:i) l!^■ 



ADDRESS OF 

Baron Kogoro Takahira 



AT THE 



Fourth of July Celebration 

Held in Independence Hall 
AT PHILADELPHIA 
JULY 5, 1909 



With the author's compliments 






Gift 

Author 
(Person) 

5 A? '09 



• 



ADDRESS OF BARON KOGORO TAKAHIRA AT 
THE FOURTH OF JULY CELEBRATION HELD 
IN INDEPENDENCE HALL AT PHILADELPHIA 
JULY 5, 1909 



Mr. Mui/or^ LadicM and Gentlemen: 

One huiidred and thirty-three years aj^o on the Fourth 
of July, your forefathers, representing- the thirteen colo- 
nies of which this country was then composed, assem- 
bled in this memorable hall, and, inspired by tluMj- 
ardent love of liberty for which these colonies had been 
Htruoo-ling. for n^any successive years, declared the inde- 
pendence of the United States of America. It was in- 
deed a most solemn occasion when the life of this ftreat 
republic began as a nation. The men who had been 
hitherto insurgents were thereby made free men, and 
took to themselves the ideas and ideals not only to be 
observed as citizens but as a nation. Such ideas an;l 
ideals were the culmination of their extreme experiences 
which compelled them to throw into the game of wai- 
their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor— car- 
rying with these ideals to all posterity the same spirit 
and force which gave utterance to them— as though the 
heU that rang to signal that great momentous event still 
echo(\s in the hearts of those standing under it today. 

In the first lines of the Declaration of Independence it 
is said that all men are created equal. Equality is ,th(^ 
guiding principle upon which this great nation was 
founded. All the States constituting it are regarded 
e(iual, and, therefore, free and independent, as are all 
the men composing them. The principle of equality 
conve3->> with it the idea of human perfectibility, as 
Tocqueville says, and tiie sense of individual responsi- 
bility, I may add. It was due to this reason that, al- 



thoiigli the American army of the. Revolutionary War 
was of sncli a small unmber, never reaching- more than 
38,000 regulars at one time, these men were always of 
the same mind, equally sharing- the responsibilit}' — 
firmly determined to fight the battle out — to stand or 
fall witli the principles they had announced. They 
were ready for death and defeat, although resolved on 
life and victory for liberty. They called themselves no 
longer Virginians, Pennsylvanians, New Yorkers, or 
New Englanders, but Americans. They knew by unit- 
ing they could stand, but by dividing they must fall. 
They were united in the cause, and were, therefore, suc- 
cessful in attaining it. 

The constitution which was adopted in tliis hall in 
1787, was also framed on the foundation of the principle 
of equality, and all men are thereby treated equal in 
right and duty. If th-ey were not equal in their station 
and employments they were encouraged on equal condi- 
tions with others to attain such station and to secure 
such employment as they may desire. They were as 
conscientious in duty as insistent upon rights. They 
were, therefore, brave in war, industrious in peace, 
faithful in public service, earnest in private calling. 
The peace and progress which has attended the national 
life of this great people since the day we are commemo- 
rating has been simply marvelous and surely unparal- 
leled in the history of nations. 

The great Civil War was undoubtedly disastrous to 
the advancement of industrial and commercial interests 
hitherto continued with wonderful rapidity, but it was, 
after all, nothing but the touchstone to test the quality 
of the national character and strength. Great men — 
President Lincoln and General Grant — appeared at 
once in the arena in response to the call of the times, 
and achieved what General Washington and Benjamin 



Fi-ankliu did iu the War of the Revolution. Disasters 
VNvie, huUhmI, ciiornioiis, hnt recoveries were eoiupara- 
tively rapid, and today the nation, whose life beoan 
only 133 years ago, has become a niio-htv, solid, and 
vnornions power, an<l the eyes of the world are more and 
more fixed upon lu'r, as navi»ators look up to the lumin- 
ous jio-ht of the pole star. Power is not, however, be- 
stowed without responsibility, as right is alwavs accom- 
panied by duty. Great powers have gi-eat responsibili- 
ties. The welfare of mankind in general largelv de- 
pends on their action. 

As for Japan, she was not only introduced into the 
comity of nations through the agency of American 
diplomacy, but has always been encouraged by it in 
\'arious ways as she advanced iu her progressive move^ 
nient, as if its intention were to apply tJie principle of 
*'(piality the same to nations as to individuals, even 
when we were still in less modest position. The Cen- 
tennial Exposition, which was held in this city in 1870, 
witnessed the superior quality of eJapanese silk, and in- 
troduced it to the American market to build up the now 
<'oniparatively enormous trade between the two coun- 
tries by fostering onr purchasing power and enabling us 
to acquire from America large quantities of goods we 
used to buy elsewhere. The United States afso recog- 
nized) Japan's tariff autonomy before any other power, 
iu 1878, and was only second to Great Britain, our hon- 
ored ally, in taking the initiative in 1894 to abolish her 
ex-territorial jurisdiction in Japan, which might be 
called our international emancipation. Thus strongly 
encouraged by the friendly action and attitude of the 
United States, Japan has been continually endeavorinu 
to imju-ove herself in politics and social conditions «o as 
to make herself worthy of her position as a member of 
the community of civilized nations. 



6 ' 

We have a constitution iiuaranteeing freedom of re- 
ligious belief, liberty of speech, writing', publication, 
public meetings and associations. Freedom of con- 
science and progress of truth are of the most vital im- 
portance to man, and most peoples have struggled for 
them through dark and dismal paths until thej have at 
last come out into the radiance of open day. In Japan, 
thanks to the wisdom of His Majesty, the Emperor, who 
was able, in consequence of the timely contact of his 
country with other' nations, to learn early in life what 
they had experienced in these regards, we were granted 
the liberty and right which are guaranteed by the con- 
stitution, an I said before, thus opening up a great path 
of progress for the moral and intellectual develop- 
ment of our people. 

This is not, however, all we want to do. We are 
using every effort in our power, however limited it may 
be, to help our neighboring countries to improve them- 
selves and to enjoy the benefit of modern civilization. 
We shall, therefore, be happ3' to see the United States 
act toward them as she acted toward us. We want to 
see America alwa^^s act up to xVmerican ideas and ideals, 
as we understand them, and extend to the neighbors of 
Japan the principles of liberty and equality when they 
are entitled to such treatment as a result of their im- 
provement and modernization. Such action will pro>'e 
not only beneficial, but encouraging to them. Tlu' 
peace and progress of mankind at large are today the 
duty and responsibility of the great powers. 

Today under the American flag unfurled in the gentle 
breeze coming from the summit of Fujiyama, all the 
representative men of the government, as well as the 
people of Tokio, throng the American embassy in that 
city, to express their happy sentiments for your national 
birthday. I am only echoing their sentiment in address- 
ing vou tlius on this most auspicious occasion. 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



